


This Place Doesn't Feel Like Home

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2018 [5]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Anxiety, Episode: s02e10 The Lost Boys, Gen, Grocery Shopping, Prompt Fill, Shore Leave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-03 20:11:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14003775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for Coming & Going Prompt:Stargate Atlantis, any, going home on leave from Atlantis for the first time.In which Rodney is forced on leave after his detox from Wraith enzyme and he has trouble adjusting to being back on Earth.





	This Place Doesn't Feel Like Home

Rodney knew he was in trouble as soon as he walked through the automatic doors. His hands clenched around the handle of the cart and he just stood there, blocking the way and staring, his heart beating much too fast considering there was no imminent threat to his person.

And that was just the produce section.

He'd forgotten how much variety there was. He counted at least eight different kinds of apples, five different kinds of peppers. Green cabbage, red cabbage, bok choy, leeks, okra. Rodney wandered through the displays, at a loss, and finally settled on a bag of pre-made salad. 

“Excuse me.” A woman pushed in front of him, grabbing no fewer than four of the salads.

Rodney hastily backpedaled to get out of her way and ended up crashing into someone else.

“Hey!” the guy protested.

“Stop tailgating and that won’t happen!” Rodney snapped back. But in his head he heard Teyla saying, _Do not antagonize the villagers, Rodney_. He mumbled an apology and moved on.

The rest of the store wasn't much better. Had there always been so many different kinds of cookies? And frozen dinners? And bread? He remembered partway through about checking labels and had to stop and check everything in the cart. Back home he didn't...huh. Rodney stood there with a package of Oreo cookies in his hand, wondering at what point Atlantis had become home and Earth just another offworld mission.

Forced leave. That's what he was on. Rodney had avoided going back to Earth after they made contact again, for the simple reason that he had nothing he needed to do there. All his work, his team...everything he needed was in Atlantis. It wasn't like he had family to visit, not while he and Jeannie were still at odds, and the SGC kept denying his requests to bring his cat to Pegasus so he had no reason to go see the little furball. 

Once he'd detoxed from the Wraith enzyme and Carson was sure he wasn't in danger of harming himself or someone else or having a stress-related heart attack, Elizabeth had insisted he need to take some time. Get away from the danger for a couple of weeks.

She obviously didn't know how many varieties of cereal there were and how stressful it felt just to face that long aisle of brightly-colored boxes.

“Are you okay, sir?”

Rodney started in surprise. There was a young girl standing in front of him with a concerned look on her face. She was wearing a t-shirt with the store logo on it and a nametag that read _Kellie_.

“What?”

“You’ve been standing there a long time. Do you need some assistance?”

“No, I just…I’ve been, uh, overseas, and there’s just…It’s just a little overwhelming.” Rodney flushed and wished he’d been able to keep his mouth shut, but Kellie just nodded like she understood.

“If you like, I can help you finish your shopping. Might be less overwhelming with a friend.”

It was a ridiculous sentiment, but Rodney grabbed hold of the offer like a lifeline. Kellie certainly helped expedite things, reading labels for him and advising him of sales and which brands had a better reputation. In total the shopping trip took almost two hours and he was wrung out by the time he made it through the checkout line.

"Thank you for shopping at Value Mart!" the cashier said cheerily.

Rodney just glared at him.

*o*o*o*

The SGC had put him up in a studio apartment in Colorado Springs. Unlike the vision the mist entity had given him, Rodney hadn't just left all his things behind like he might be back in a couple of days. All of his stuff was in storage and he'd gotten out of his lease; he hadn't known if he'd ever be back, after all.

Rodney unpacked his groceries and ended up having to throw a couple of things away because he hadn't checked the labels thoroughly. He managed to get a frozen dinner in the oven without too much trouble but kept trying to turn things on with his mind, which was giving him a headache.

While he waited for his dinner to heat up, Rodney dropped down on the couch and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. He was exhausted. He missed popping into the Mess and picking from a small array of prepared foods that had been made with his citrus allergy in mind. No-one was catering to his needs on Earth.

And the people! There were so many people! Crowds of them everywhere. There'd been a lot of new faces in Atlantis since they re-established contact with the SGC, but it was still nothing like Earth. There were hordes of people, everyone talking on cell phones and rushing around like their stupid little lives were more important than a war happening a galaxy away. There was traffic noise and people noise and the humming of electronics and music blaring from open windows...an overwhelming cacophony. 

Rodney missed the sounds of Atlantis: waves lapping against the piers, Zelenka muttering to himself in Czech, the bubbling water in the desalinization tubes, Miko singing songs in Japanese, Sheppard's lazy drawl. 

He rubbed his hand absently against his chest, waiting for the timer to ding so he could eat. He was so hungry. Two hours later he was sitting on the edge of the bathtub and rocking back and forth, his stomach twisted from what he could only assume were the additives and preservatives in his frozen dinner. 

“Idiot,” he cursed himself between clenched teeth. He should’ve cooked himself something all-natural. His body wasn’t used to Earth food anymore.

Rodney wasn't going to last two weeks. Hell, he wasn’t sure he could last two _days_. Tomorrow he'd go to the SGC, to Landry himself, and demand to be sent back to Atlantis. They needed him there. Sheppard could be getting into all kinds of trouble without him, and as good as Zelenka was Rodney didn't want him running the labs; he was too soft on the other scientists.

The fact of the matter was this: Earth didn't feel like home anymore. And Rodney wanted to go home.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** I will never not be interested in the culture shock of the expedition returning to Earth for the first time after being cut off for a year. You know there had to be rationing by the end of it, and their lives had changed so much. Even a simple act like shopping would be overwhelming.
> 
> (See also the dangers inherent in driving a car again in my fic [Culture Shock ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6122503).)


End file.
